Annual barbecue cook-off adding treats for this year's bevy of events

Apr. 13—ENID, Okla. — Enid's annual barbecue competition is bringing back the bacon next week, along with hopes for somewhat of a return to normal for the longtime "must-go" event.

Now in its 16th year, the Hanor Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ will again welcome teams from throughout the region to cook and be judged for their original, mouth-watering chicken, steak and pork recipes.

While the judging is closed, the public is welcome to tour the grilling stations as teams prepare their entries Friday, April 23, and the morning of Saturday, April 24, in the parking lots east of Stride Bank Center.

And this year, what was once Bob's Bacon Fest will be revived as the Bacon Bash for another set of teams to compete for the title of champion, using pork products supplied by title sponsor Hanor Family of Companies, which is based in Enid.

The bacon cook-off will benefit the United Way of Enid and Northwest Oklahoma, whose annual chili cook-off fundraiser was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With one $10 ticket, a guest will be able to taste 10 bacon creations from the 15 cooks competing in the cook-off.

The Bacon Bash begins at 5:30 p.m. April 23 in the mezzanine of the Stride Bank Center, at 301 S. Independence, and will spill outside to the Cherokee intersection.

With Stride Bank Center as the event's financial backer this year, both a bar and live music entertainment will be around for cook-off patrons to enjoy, Red Dirt BBQ event coordinator Lynne Benkendorf said.

Tickets are available by calling the United Way office at (580) 237-0821 or visiting Stride Bank Center. All proceeds from the event will go to United Way.

The Bacon Bash is one of several competitions or events that coordinators are adding to this year's Red Dirt BBQ, which comes as the pandemic appears to be on a downswing of new cases in Oklahoma.

"A lot of things were canceled last year, so this is really pretty much going to be somewhat of a back to normal," Benkendorf said.

As the bacon bashers grill, so will a group of younger competitors as part of Red Dirt BBQ's Kids Q competition.

Children ages 10 and under and 11-15 will take to their grills with either 2 pounds of ground beef or 1 pound of chicken thighs, respectively. Their submissions will be due at 5:30 p.m. the Friday of the Red Dirt BBQ, and kids in teams of up to three individuals will be awarded Saturday for first through fourth place.

"They compete just like the adults do," Benkendorf said. "This is a new way to get young blood interested in cooking, and those are going to be the next up-and-coming chefs."

A dance sponsored by 4RKids will then begin at 7 p.m. Friday in the event center until the Steak Cookoff Association's awards begin at 9 p.m.

Both events were canceled last year because of COVID.

As of Monday, 32 teams had entered to compete in this year's Kansas City Barbeque Society Master Series cook-off, Benkendorf said.

More entries still are being accepted online at reddirtbbq.etownthemaga zine.com, she said.

Last August, more than 50 barbecue teams competed in Enid's KCBS cook-off, and 67 cooks competed in the Steak Cookoff Association's competition.

"I hope we get our 50 teams," Benkendorf said of the former. "Some people had to cancel because they've lost their jobs because of COVID, and they can't afford it. Some have family matters that come up — just those things you can't worry about."

Last year's competitions in Enid were postponed until August because of the pandemic, while other major events in Stillwater, Sulphur Springs and Weatherford were canceled altogether in 2020.

While Sulphur Springs Kiwanis' City of Springs BBQ Championship is still on for the weekend after Enid's cook-off, the Stillwater Elks Lodge Blazathon and Weatherford's Pork-A-Palooza were both canceled again this year.

Barbecue competitions throughout Texas were canceled last year, too, so cooking teams came up to Enid for the first time to compete in a KCBS-sanctioned event.

"Throughout the circuit, Enid has been known to be a must-go contest for all of the heavy-hitters in the area," Benkendorf said.

A "good lineup" of returning teams with highly original names such as last year's Grand Champion, Bow Chicka Cow Cow, will arrive in Enid on the morning of Friday, April 23, begin cooking in the parking lots west of the event center that afternoon and overnight, then submit their meals to KCBS-certified judges by the end of Saturday morning.

Judges will score entries in five individual KCBS categories: chicken, brisket, pork ribs, pork butt and dessert.

While judging occurs on the second floor of the event center, Enid Noon AMBUCS will hold a lunch for $8 a plate from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the grand ballroom on the first floor.

Tickets will be available at the door or in advance.

For the first year, AMBUCS will also have a curb-side pickup on the east side of Stride Bank Center — a different wait staff will serve them if they buy a ticket in advance.

Live music will be from 11:30 a.m. until KCBS and Kids Q entries are all awarded at 3:30.

The Grand Champion will receive $2,000 and a trophy, as well as an automatic entry to the American Royal World Series of Barbecue, in September in Kansas City, Kan. — the largest competition in the world. The team also will be entered in a drawing for the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational BBQ in October in Nashville, Tenn.

An event calendar of the weekend's full Hanor Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ lineups will be included in Sunday's edition of the News & Eagle.

Ewald is copy editor and city/education reporter for the Enid News & Eagle.

Have a question about this story? Do you see something we missed? Send an email to aewald@enidnews.com.